Chapter 47 Grace
GRACE
Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
Kerry Winsor: I hate to be the person to do this again, but I must issue a warning about the new baby daddy in town.
Brooke sent me a voice note along with many messages.
Dean kissed her in the bar while Grace was at home.
He’s apparently been making moves on Brooke since they met!
Who else was at the bar and can confirm?
Comments:
Dale Garrett: I was. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it.
Kerry Winsor: A man from out of town with a history of breaking hearts kissing Brooke while with Grace? I can’t believe I helped him!!!
Tammy Jane: I’m so tired of these men cheating on our girls! Damn playboys always think they’re slick!!!
Mollie Wilson: @Jade Clark @Wren Hackett RED ALERT
Kerry Winsor: Finally telling the girls who he is?
Mollie Wilson: Kerry, this is NOT appropriate for the group. Second, I’m alerting the girls so we can clear this up with the people involved . . . You know, like real adults.
Jade Clark: Oh, I’m past being an adult. ADMINS FUCKING DELETE THIS SHIT NOW BEFORE I SAY ENOUGH BAD WORDS TO GET THE GROUP REMOVED.
There were many reasons I would wake up in the middle of the night.
But on this night, it was a bad feeling that settled deep in my stomach. My eyes were still heavy from sleep, but I slowly sat up.
That was when I saw my phone was lighting up brighter than a Christmas tree.
I reached for it, wondering if Brooke had enacted her revenge.
Kerry
I’m so sorry about what Dean did. I’m heading to bed, but if you need to chat tomorrow, I’m here for you!
Tammy
I didn’t trust him. You say the word and I’ll ban him everywhere.
Jade
Grace. Do NOT go into the Facebook group. I’m serious. You don’t need this kind of worry right now. The girls and I are handling it.
I, of course, didn’t listen. I immediately opened it up. The top post told me everything I needed to know.
Brooke and Dean had kissed at the bar, and everyone was talking about it.
I could only stare at the words on the screen, trying to wrap my mind around Brooke and Dean, of all people, kissing. I read through all of the comments. A lot of the top ones were people saying never to trust a playboy, but some were asking more questions.
I was asking more questions.
Dean hated Brooke. There was no way to fake that kind of body language I’d seen when she was around. There was no way he’d suddenly kissed her.
Besides, he’d told me I was it for him. He’d shown me it a hundred times.
I trusted Dean. But did I trust Brooke?
I got out of bed, wondering if I should go down to the square to see what had happened. This had all gone down only half an hour ago.
When I got halfway down the hallway, I ran right into someone else.
“Grace,” Brooke said. “There you are. I really need to talk to you.”
She smelled awful. Like beer and alcohol. Her lip gloss was smeared and I knew exactly why.
“About what?” My voice was flat.
“You can’t trust Dean,” she said immediately, hands gripping my arms. “He—”
The hallway lights flipped on and Virginia came out of Brooke’s room. My sister sneered the second she saw the other woman.
“What’s going on?” Virginia asked, her voice heavy with sleep. We must have woken her up.
“Of course there’s an audience.” Brooke rolled her eyes. “Let’s go to your room to talk.”
“Anything you need to say to me can be said in front of her.”
“No, it can’t. She’ll take his side.”
“Not necessarily,” Virginia said. “What happened? Grace, why do you look upset?”
“Your son assaulted me.”
I flinched at the words.
“What?” Virginia asked. Her eyes grew wide and she crossed her arms. “That’s not like him.”
“Oh, I’m sure you think you know him.”
“What did he do?” she asked slowly.
“He found me at the bar and forced me to kiss him.”
“He . . .” Virginia blinked. I could tell she was trying to listen to Brooke, but she knew Dean just like I did. Neither of us could see him doing this.
“Brooke, what really happened?” I asked.
“I’m telling you what happened.”
“You’re drunk and angry,” I said. “Which means you’re gonna act out. Did Dean really kiss you, or did you do it to him?”
Brooke’s jaw dropped open. “I can’t believe you would accuse me of that.”
But then the front door slammed shut. I heard thudding footsteps heading right toward us.
When Dean came into view, he looked like a wreck. His hair was a mess. His eyes red. One of his cheeks was red too. I’d never seen him so torn apart.
“Grace, I need to . . .” He paused when he saw Brooke.
“I got here first,” she said, but I knew that voice. It was the one she used when she got the doll from me and cried that I was trying to take it. The same voice she used to garner Mom’s sympathy.
“I didn’t kiss her,” Dean rushed to say. “I would never ever betray you like that.”
I knew. I’d known the whole time.
This was why I hadn’t ever told Brooke no. Because I’d seen what she was capable of. I’d seen how she threw a fit.
“Okay, we need to get the story straight.” Virginia looked at Brooke. “I want to believe you, but you’re accusing my son of something serious.”
“I’m not a liar.”
“But you are, Brooke.” Every set of eyes turned to me.
“What?” she asked.
“You are a liar. And a manipulator. And a fucking bitch.”
She jerked back from me. “How dare you!”
“Shut up.” I stepped close, getting right in her face.
“I’m so sick of you. You have steamrolled my life whenever you remember I exist, and I tolerated it because I hoped, deep down, that you cared about me because I’m your sister.
But you don’t. You’re a spoiled brat trying to ruin what I have because I told you no.
But guess what? I see right through you and I don’t believe you. ”
“B-but we’re family.”
“Not anymore. You’ve hurt me a lot over the years, and I shouldn’t have let that slide. But you’re not going to hurt someone I love. I draw the line there. So get out of my house.”
My cheek erupted in pain. It took me a second to register that she’d slapped me. Virginia gasped, and Dean had Brooke’s arms in a tight hold before I could even take a breath.
“Don’t fucking touch her!” he yelled.
“I can do what I want!”
“Oh my God!” Virginia hurried to my side. “Are you okay, honey?”
“I’m fine.” My voice was flat as I stared at Brooke. Instead of seeing someone I cared about, I saw a girl who’d never faced consequences for her actions.
And it was time she did.
Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my phone and called the one person I never thought I would.
“’Ello?”
“Mike, I need to report an assault. And an unwelcome person in my home.”
“Grace?” Now he sounded awake. “Shit, kid. I’ll be right there.”
Once he hung up, I turned back to the scene in my house.
“Are you okay?” Virginia asked again.
“Yeah. Her bark’s worse than her bite.”
Brooke tried to wrestle her way out of Dean’s grip. “Let me go!”
“So you can run from what you’ve done?” he snapped. “No. You’re facing this. All of it.”
“Mike lives five minutes away,” I said as Virginia wrapped her arms around me. “Thank you for holding her, Dean. Especially after what she did to you.”
“She hurt someone I love.” His voice was firm, but his eyes were soft as they landed on me. “And I won’t let that happen again.”
A heavy silence settled on us all before Mike arrived. He took Brooke from Dean and put her in handcuffs. I watched the whole time, even as she tried to talk her way out of this.
“It’s not that big of a deal,” she tried to reason. “Grace will let this go. I just had a bad night.”
Mike looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
“She slapped me while I’m nine months pregnant, Mike. Please get her outta here.”
“Are you pressing charges?” he asked.
“I am.”
“Me too,” Dean said.
“Good. I’ll get her locked in the car and I’ll get my notebook.”
“No!” Brooke yelled as he dragged her out. “Grace, come on. Just let it go. I won’t ever do anything like this again.”
And she was right, but not because she would change.
But because I wouldn’t save her this time.